Alone In The Dark

The Alone in the Dark series has a lot of history behind it. With this fresh look on the Wii,  Atari hopes to build on that history, and create another stellar title that just might get a few scares out of fans of the series.

When the first Alone in the Dark game was released, it broke ground by creating a new genre called survival horror. Since then, each installment to the series has been well received. Alone in the Dark is the fifth addition to the innovative franchise published by Atari. Hydravision Entertainment, those behind ObsCure, seek to continue innovating and was in charge of development.

Players will take the role of Edward Carnby, a paranormal investigator who originated in the first game. Strange happenings are occurring in Central Park and conveniently enough, Edward wakes up smack in the middle of things. Immediately, Edward has to make sense of his surroundings and escape from a mysterious group who holds him captive, all while battling a monster-infested Central Park.

The game has so much potential, but can it really deliver?

Alone in the Dark is a horror game with a lot of puzzle elements mixed in, true to the survival horror genre. At times, players will control Edward in the third person perspective and other times, it plays more like a first person shooter. While in first person, players will have to observe environments and use the new blink mechanic to help them solve various puzzles. Blinking allows players to not only remain conscious during cinematics, but to also illuminate helpful clues.

Climbing ropes is just one of the many frustrating tasks that plague Alone in the Dark.

The ability to switch from 1st to 3rd person.  This allows for multiple viewpoints when trying to solve puzzles or fight enemies, when the game doesn't stop you from doing so.

Building and environmental textures look sharp.

Blink mechanic allows for unique puzzle solving. Also allows for you to close your eyes and not have to see the poor game.

Strong musical score supports the game, the only aspect that does provide a feeling of eeriness and add to the overall atmosphere of the game.

Episodic Content. Makes the game play like a television show. There's also the ability to skip the really frustrating parts.

Rancid AI. Enemies in the game are nearly impossible to aggravate. Most are too easy to defeat due to overall lack of intelligence.

Tacked-On Motion Controls. Controls do not mesh well with the game; they tend to feel clumsy and awkward.

Poor Sound Effects. Enemies make rather lame sounds that are too repetitive and ruin the atmosphere.

Disjointed Characters. Edward has no visible emotions and is a rather boring character. The rest of the cast has poor dialogue and are generally unlikable.

Unclear Objectives. With no map or written objectives, it is sometimes a guessing game of where to go and how to solve a puzzle.

Bad Lighting. Okay, I get it, it should be dark, hence the title. The darkness is only an inconvenience at best and does not make the game scarier.

Complete Lack of Physics. Items in the game bounce around, cars handle as if they had no weight to them at all.

Poor Character Models. Enough with the last gen characters. You can make them look better, c'mon!

Lack of Polish. This game is full of bugs and has sloppy typos in the subtitles. Overall it feels like a rushed job.

Poor Level/Puzzle Design. Invisible walls are everywhere, forcing linear game play. Puzzles restrict controls to force you to do menial tasks that could easily be accomplished other ways.

Alone in the Dark is a game that had such great potential, but never followed through with making a solid product. Ultimately, the downfall of Alone in the Dark is that it is a chore to play. Unnecessary repetition of both environments and missions distills all of the fun out of playing. Top this off with a bad cast of characters and you have a product that is not only boring, but also painful to play. There are some good points in this game, you just have to try really hard to enjoy them over all of the annoyances that are abundant.